In Volume 1, we meet Hinako, a girl who has lost almost everything and, as a result, doesn’t mind entertaining the thought of death. She is befriended by Shiori, a mysterious creature of the deep ocean, a mermaid, who assures Hinako that she wants the girl to live happily, so that she can eat her later.

Hinako’s only other friend, Miko, does not like Shiori and, in This Monster Wants to Eat Me, Volume 2, by Sae Naekawa, we find out why.

But first Shiori asks Hinako the question on all our minds, why is she is such a rush to die? Hinako looks back at the loss of her family and, again, prompted by Shiori, at her history with Miko. Shiori is really a monster, but she seems to think Miko is one, too?

In this eye-opening volume, in which much of what we were told turns out to be half-truths or full lies, Hinako will continue to reevaluate all her choices. When I read this in Japanese in 2021, I commented that it was a “freakin’ brillant volume of a manga” and I stand by that with this English edition. There is an underlying tension to this series that just fills one with foreboding, even when nothing in particular is happening. When the truth is uncovered, it is both a huge relief and a new chill on one’s spine.

This series is just the best summer horror tale with chills, thrills, a little blood and darkness, thus far rooted wholly in Japanese youkai – what lurks in the shadows in Japanese folklore. Caleb Cook once again brings a fantastic, nuanced translation. You can tell who is talking by how they talk. I can “hear” every character clearly. Bianca Pistillo’s lettering is good. I wish she was able to be amazing, but Yen’s house style of subtitling the sound effects is their style and I will just always whine slightly about it. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8 Ominous and compelling
Characters – 8 The more we know, the less we know
Service – Blood. Violence. Monsters From the Deep. Secrets. More Monsters.
Yuri – Miko is possessive, Shiori is infatuating

Overall – 8

This volume is headed your way in mid-September. Don’t miss out on this fantastic low-key horror book. It takes all the mortifications of school life and gives it extra claws and fangs. ^_^

I have Volume 8 of Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし) siting here on my to-review pile and I’m once again hyped to re-read and review it.

Thanks very much to Yen Press for the review copy! This is such a fantastic series, I always can’t wait to read it. ^_^

Last spring Frank Hecker left us with these timeless words in his review of Volume 2, regarding any relationship between our principles Miyako and Asako “Okay, it’s happening!” but where it will go is as yet unclear.”

In Volume 3 of Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord by Yodogawa, out now from Yen Press, it is at last clear where it will go. But first! We have to navigate the rockiest of territories – a birthday to deal with for a person with a fraught and painful history with birthdays. Asako has always been a kind and giving person and has not, historically, had that feeling returned. This is the first time since the opening pages that we’ve seen how rarely her lovers seemed to care about her. When Miyako learns the depth of that wound, it completely throws her for a loop – used to being spoiled, she can’t imagine not caring deeply about the happiness of the person she cares about…

…and then the boot drops for both of them. This is the person they care about. It’s still going to take a little time to work out just what that means for them, but by the end of this volume, they are definitely both on the same page about it.

In the meantime, over in Hato’s office, another relationship is brewing with a idol finding a great deal of amusement in teasing her number 1 fan.

This manga is full of emotion, but presented in a quiet, adult way (aside from Hato’s over-the-top reactions.) Tough situations are thought through, decisions are made, conclusions are come to and risks taken, all without high drama. And joy is found. Miyako and Asako decide to risk this relationship. Navigating this terrain will be an ongoing story – the life of an ex-idol is still pretty complicated – but they have each other and their friends.

Despite the fact that I also have a fraught and painful birthday history which made the opening chapters hard going for me, the result here couldn’t be better. Finding a way to enjoy what you have now is something that too few people ever manage. It was a lovely sight to see these two characters find it, together. This series ticks a lot of boxes for me – I love Yodogawa’s art, the fully formed characters, the side stories, the adults having adult conversations(!), low-key personal drama, and the way that drama is handled.  As I said in my review of this volume in Japanese, inject this directly into my veins. More slow-life romance with adults, please.

Ratings:

Art – 8 Yodogawa’s faces are terrific
Story – 8
Character – 9
Service – 0
Yuri – 5  Yuri has arrived!

Overall – 8

Monthly In The Garden With My Landlord is the city pop vibe of Josei Yuri manga – a bit indescribable and incredibly fun. Volume 4 does not yet have a release date, but I will whet your appetite with a reminder that I consider Volume 4 “just about the most perfect volume of manga I have ever read,” when I reviewed it in Japanese!

Thanks immeasurably to Yen Press for the review copy!
 

Memory loss is no fun, I can attest to that. When I was younger, I had a mind like a steel trap, now I frequently struggle to remember things that happened moments ago. As I read Cheerful Amnesia, Volume 3, I also struggled with the relationship between Mari and Arisa.

Despite neither of them (or their doctors or the author) creating any plan for Arisa to regain her memories, Arisa and Mari are bullishly moving forward, just sort of pretending that being together is enough. They both think about sex with the other, but neither has the emotional wherewithal to have a real conversation, so they end up missing each other’s meaning. Over and over. It is hard to take them seriously as a couple.

 Arisa and Mari genuinely are interested in one another. Arisa even goes so far to ask Mari to marry her. But Arisa’s memories are not only coming back, she’s losing her memory of nights they spend together now. And no matter how many womp-womp noises you make as you draw that, it’s going to read as a concerning thing, not all that funny.

There is a problem with this sort of “awkward comedy.” It gets really tired after we’ve all heard the joke. And something has to give here, and the thing that gives is the cause of Arisa’s amnesia in the first place. Turns out that it’s because “too many good things happened…!”

I know it’s meant as comedy. I know. I just… . I laughed at loud at She Can’t Say No To The Lonely Girl! I swear I’m not an anti-comedy curmudgeon – I am a profoundly pro-comedy curmudgeon. But this just feels like a thin joke dragged out too long and I have a creeping feeling I know the punchline of this series is going to be Mari losing her memory and we do this all over again….

If you’re used to Oku Tamamushi’s art, Arisa’s gaping mouth won’t come as a surprise  – to me it reads like she’s always inappropriately loud. Mari’s pained reactions in some cases are understandable. This story isn’t complicated, so translator Jenny McKeon has some work to do to make us care about Mari and Arisa. As usual, she is successful. The panels are, likewise very empty, so I’m a bit sad that letter Chiho Chritie was not given time or money to do full retouch.

Next volume  it looks like these two are going to go through a whirlwind journey of getting Arisa to stop collapsing, coming out to their parents and getting married. Can the final volume  take up the slack in the rest of the series? We’ll find out next month, when Volume 4 hits shelves in September, from Yen Press.

Ratings:

Art – 7 Noticeably better again
Story – 7 It’s try, but do what, I’m not sure
Characters – 7 They are adults who need to grow up already
Service – “Sexy” things. Sigh.
Yuri – 9

Overall – 7

Many thanks to Yen Press for the review copy. I’m really hoping Volume 4 makes this story a triumph.

Sakurai Ayaka is an excellent student who sucks at tests. A teacher offers her a recommendation to the college Ayaka aims for with a pretty manipulative twist – get a missing student back into the classroom and she’ll get that recommendation. Ayaka agrees, with some legitimate concerns and finds herself again subject to someone else’s whims. Classmate Honda Sora will only come back if Ayaka succumbs to one request” a day…and that request might even be a kiss!

Volume 1 of this series was very cute and also quite problematic, at the same time.

As I Can’t Say No to the Lonely Girl, Volume 2 evolves, both Ayaka and Sora are trying to understand what they mean to each other. Having met in such an unconventional (and frankly unpleasant) way, neither Ayaka nor Sora really have any way to understand how they feel.

The school sports day festival isn’t helping…but a new transfer student is. Watanabe sees what is going on and jumps right in to make sure they have to talk about it…at least a little. This leads to a chuckle out loud moment when Sora wonders how the costume for three-legged race that she’s just been subbed into fits her so well.

In the meantime, it’s hard to not be rooting for Sora and Ayaka as they navigate other people’s expectations, their own reticence and the unknown.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7, but climbing
Characters – 8
Service – 0
Yuri – pushing upwards at 6

Overall – 8

If, at this point, you are wondering what the deal is with Sora, her level of disassociation seems really high for no reason, tune back in for Volume 3…there is definitely a reason.

Oh, and I’m sorry. I localized the author’s name as Kashikaze and that’s what Kodansha uses, but just to complicate things, the author localizes their name as Kashykaze in Comic Yuri Hime now. Woops.